Trend Micro blocks 4m cyber attacks targeted on Nigerian businesses - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Global cybersecurity leader, Trend Micro Incorporated has revealed that it blocked around 18 million email threats, almost two million malicious Uniform Resource Locator (URLs) and over four million malicious mobile apps targeted at Nigerian businesses and consumers between January and December 2023, reports ITREALMS.

This as threat actors deviate from big-batch attacks to focus on a narrower range of more lucrative targets.

World Bank boosts Nigeria’s MSMEs with N99.5b

ITRealms

The World Bank Group has given a boost of $500 million, about N99.5 billion to finance Micro, Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSME) in agriculture, trade, light-manufacturing, services, and other areas, reports ITRealms. 

The project ITRealms gathered, is an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) credit to fund the development finance projects to facilitate increased access and availability of financing for MSME.

World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, affirmed to ITRealms that the project is fully in line with the priorities set out in the new Country Partnership Strategy which calls for focusing on increasing access to finance, including long-term financing for key sectors such as housing, SMEs, agriculture, and infrastructure, through various mechanisms involving both private sector and public sector partnerships.

ITRealms further learnt that the development finance project provides a stable and predictable funding source through the establishment of a Development Finance Institution (DFI). The DFI will provide funding to eligible financial institutions to finance long-term lending to MSMEs, as well as funding to Micro-Finance Banks for on-lending and to expand their outreach.

The proposed operation ITRealms gathered, addresses the provision of finance, including long-term finance, through eligible Participating Financial Institutions to expand outreach to urban and rural Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise

The project is a joint effort between the World Bank Group, African Development Bank (AfDB), the German Development Bank, French Agency for Development, and the UK’s Department for International Development, the information made available to ITRealms further revealed.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

CWG, Openshopen host MSMEs to eCommerce in Lagos

ITRealms:

The Computer Warehouse Group plc (CWG) in collaboration with the Openshopen has hosted the some Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) owners to an electronic commerce (eCommerce) in Lagos, reports ITRealms.

Tagged “Learn How to Set-up, operate and advertise your own store online” ITRealms reports that the workshop was aimed at equipping business owners with the skills they require to take their business to the online community by operating an online store and selling to people other than those in their immediate physical community.

ITRealms also reports that while welcoming participants, the Head Marketing Communications, CWG, Success Nmerife, stated that the workshop was designed to introduce them to solutions and methods they could employ to maximize the benefits that the internet affords in growing their businesses.

She observed that the shift in the global focus from traditional business model to online commerce has made the utilization of the electronic media in business promotion and sales an indispensable tool for merchants.

In her remarks, Adriana De la Cruz Duffo, Business Manager, Openshopen told ITRealms that Openshopen has been uniquely designed to respond to the challenges of online trading encountered by SMEs in the Nigerian business environment.

“Openshopen is easy to use, cheap and profitable. It addresses the fears of payment gateway security. It also takes care of the logistics of delivery. It is a platform you as merchants can adopt, if you want your business to grow” she said.

Delivering his presentation, Head, Innovation at CWG plc, Mr. Tayo Oduwole, introduced the Openshopen online platform to the participants, stressing that CWG partnership with Openshopen affords them to introduce the eCommerce platform which is in line with its vision to enable Nigerian merchants acquire business enabling technology without incurring business killing own-infrastructure costs.

He pointed out that Openshopen differs from other online shopping platforms, in that it allows merchants sell directly to buyers and have the privilege of promoting their brands. Unlike other platforms that require merchants to submit their wares for sale.

“With Openshopen, you can sell your brand alongside your products, such that people can look for you if they want your products again”, he said.

The workshop featured a practical session where Mr. Oduwole took participants through step by step procedure of opening a store online. The participants had the privilege of creating their own store, each having their unique web address, corporate logo and products for display. Thereafter, they were taught the basics of promoting their business using various social media platforms.

Presenting certificate of participants to attendees, Chief Technology Officer, CWG, Mr. James Agada, noted that the workshop served as one of CWG’s ways of contributing towards the growth of SMEs in Nigeria, creating employment and contributing to the growth of the nation’s economy.

He also urged participants to utilize the knowledge they have gained from the workshop.

“Having learnt how to open your store and sell online, we look forward to seeing you sell on Openshopen”, he said.

For some of the participants, including Mr. and Mrs. Yemi Adeyemo, Directors at House of Treasures, “In fact, the workshop was worth the while, the lectures were extensive and the speakers were very good. We have learnt a lot that we will like to put them into use as soon as we get back home”.

 +Remmy Nweke @Success Nmerife

ITREALMS ... delivering news for ICT4D

Pix:L-R: Charles Ibonye, Project manager, CWG Plc; Mr. James Agada Chief Technology Officer, CWG Plc;  Tayo Oduwole, Head, Innovation; Success Nmerife, Head, Marketing Communications and Adriana De la Cruz Duffo, Business Manager, Openshopen at the maiden eCommerce workshop for merchants in Lagos recently.